Easy Prey Podcast

Security risks are constantly changing. Projects start and end, employees leave and are hired, new tools replace old tools, and configurations get adjusted. Many companies run penetration testing (pen testing) scenarios on a regular basis. But with today’s fast-paced changes, even frequent pen testing may not be able to keep up with all the new…

Ransomware is a huge cybersecurity threat, and it’s only growing. It’s especially a risk for businesses, but it targets individuals too. One of the biggest dangers of ransomware is that it may end up in your organization not because of anything you did, but because a third-party software you use or a company in your…

We all use technology at some point in our lives. Sometimes that technology is as simple as a web browser, search engine, or messaging app. But we often aren’t aware of what that technology is doing behind the scenes or what kind of data it’s collecting about us. It’s important to know how to protect…

Everybody knows the experience of looking at your ringing phone to see a caller ID that reads “scam likely,” or answering a call and finding a recorded voice on the other line. Robocalls are everywhere these days, and it seems like they’re only getting more frequent. If you’ve ever looked for an answer to the…

Almost every business relies on some kind of software, whether it’s for scheduling, payments, customer information, or something else. And for individuals, we do our banking, shopping, socializing, and even work and school through and with software tools. But that can put us at risk. To improve our digital security, we need to know where…

Technology is everywhere in our world. When many schools require it for class and homework, even young children can’t escape it. But what is a parent to do? Parental control software companies claim they’re the answer, but are they right? Are there other things parents can do? Or are the dangers just being overstated? If…

Most of us have heard of identity theft. A criminal gets your information and uses it to access your accounts, your credit, and your money. It can be devastating to an individual. But because we know about this crime, there are processes in place to deal with it. It’s hard to recover, but not impossible.…

Cybercriminals these days are doing their homework. They study how companies, organizations, and individuals create emails, and they design theirs to match. It takes time to verify if an email is authentic, and many employees just want to do the task and get it off their plate. Email security isn’t new or flashy or the…

Some scammers thrive off the challenge of deceiving you. Others just view it as a way to make money. Still others are trafficked and forced to scam. But whatever their motivations, scammer techniques all come out of the same playbook. They want you to get emotional as fast as possible. It doesn’t matter if that…

Nobody thinks it could happen to their family. But assuming it couldn’t happen to you is the worst mistake you can make. We all have blind spots when it comes out our loved ones being in danger because we don’t want to believe it could happen. But all children are affected by technology, and even…

In the past, thieves used to rob banks, break into houses, and steal physical money. But in a largely digital world, it’s much easier for them to sit behind a keyboard and hack their way into your accounts or trick you into handing over your money. But there are financial fraud protection tools out there.…

Artificial intelligence technology can do a lot of really fascinating and useful things. But unfortunately, criminals are discovering that they can use AI to quickly and easily create targeted attacks on both individuals and businesses. And these aren’t always full-scale assaults, either. More often, they’re steady “micro-attacks” that slip under the radar. This means that…

Your phone is not as secure as you think. There are lots of ways for hackers, criminals, and even opportunistic amateurs can get access to the information on your phone. And with a technique called SIM swapping, they could even steal your entire phone account – meaning your phone number and all your data is…

Many people assume that scammers target older people. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Scammers go after everybody, regardless of your age, your education, how much money you have to lose, or anything else. But fraud watch organizations have a difficult time determining exactly how much scams are targeting any demographics. They can’t…

Moving your money around has never been easier. With online banking, mobile banking, and the proliferation of financial apps, you can move your money almost anywhere, often instantly. This technology is extremely convenient for us, the consumers. But unfortunately, it’s also extremely convenient for scammers. Banks and fraud have been locked in battle for a…

It’s truly not fair to ask, “didn’t these victims know better?” It’s not a matter of knowing better. Many very intelligent and wise people have been scammed. That’s a fact. Unlike Mr. Spock from Star Trek, we are not 100% logical and without human thoughts, experiences, feelings and reactions. We all have them.

This is a different kind of scam alert. It is a very important piece of advice that almost every guest on the “Easy Prey Podcast” has given: Anyone can get scammed because there is a scam out there for everyone.

The FBI is hunting the long haul trucker serial killers behind at least 850 murders along America’s highways. Sound like an episode of your favorite crime drama? It’s real, and it’s happening right now. These serial killers are out there, mostly targeting female sex trafficking victims. And the FBI is trying to track their behavior…

As technology has changed from postal mail to phone to fax to email, scammers’ tools have changed, too. And the recent rise of sophisticated AI apps that anyone can use has made their job even easier. Romance scams especially have taken advantage of this technology. And that means that the old ways of spotting scammers…

Fifty years ago, it wasn’t very common for employees to change jobs. Once they were hired, they tended to stay with the same company for their entire working career. But that’s not the case anymore. Employees are changing jobs much more regularly these days. When a new employee joins, they need to be able to…